Chinese Birth Chart: Chinese Baby Genender Calendar

Some Chinese families wanted to know if they could predict the gender of their child in advance, others would also like to choose their child’s gender if they thought that were a possibility. The Chinese Birth Calendar was a convenient solution for both scenarios before the wide availability of ultrasounds.

Ancient Calendar

The Chinese Birth Calendar is actually a chart found in an emperor’s tomb near Beijing, China, about 700 years ago. Legend has it that Ba Gua and Wu Xing helped invent the Chinese Gender Chart during the Qing dynasty. The ancient artifact is now on display in the Beijing Institute of Science.

Chinese Gender Preference

Since boys were usually physically stronger than were girls, ancient Chinese people preferred to have more boys in their families to help with farm work in the traditionally agricultural country. Parents generally looked upon female babies mainly as expenses. Girls remained in their families’ homes until they were about 17 years old when they married and joined their husbands’ families. Gender selection was important to ancient Chinese emperors as well, so it was not surprising to find the chart in one of their tombs.

This historical son preference ideology coupled with the one-child policy adopted on September 25, 1980 has recently led to a significant mismatch in the birth of boys vs girls, with millions more boys being born than girls.

How to Use the Chart

You can find a good example of the Chinese birth calendar below. It has a column of ages from 18 through 45 on the left side of the chart. It also has a row of months from January through December along the chart’s top. It is simple to use, but you must add nine months to the mother’s age in order to determine how old she is according to the Chinese calendar.

Establish the mother’s Chinese calendar age when she conceived.

Locate that number in the left column.

Find the month she conceived on the top row.

Draw a straight line across the chart beginning at her age.

Make another line down the chart starting at the conception month.

At the point where the two lines intersect, you will see either an B or G.

An B predicts that the mother has conceived a boy, and an G shows that she can expect a girl.

AGE

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

18

G

B

G

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

19

B

G

B

G

G

B

B

G

B

B

G

G

20

G

B

G

B

B

B

B

B

B

G

B

B

21

B

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

22

G

B

B

G

B

G

G

B

G

G

G

G

23

B

B

B

G

B

B

G

G

G

B

B

G

24

B

G

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

25

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

B

26

B

B

B

B

B

G

B

G

G

B

G

G

27

G

G

B

B

G

B

G

G

B

G

B

B

28

B

B

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

G

B

G

29

G

B

G

G

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

G

30

B

B

G

B

G

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

31

B

B

B

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

G

G

32

B

G

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

B

G

B

33

G

B

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

34

B

B

G

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

G

35

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

36

B

G

B

B

B

G

B

B

G

G

G

G

37

G

G

B

G

G

G

B

G

G

B

B

B

38

B

B

G

G

B

G

G

B

G

G

B

G

39

G

G

B

G

G

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

40

B

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

G

B

41

G

G

B

G

B

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

42

B

G

G

B

B

B

B

B

G

B

G

B

43

G

B

G

G

B

B

B

G

G

G

B

B

44

B

G

G

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

45

G

B

G

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

Accuracy

Based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the chart’s accuracy rate is over 90 percent according to those who use it to anticipate a baby’s gender. However, there is no scientific proof that it provides correct predictions. Most people agree that the chart’s main function is to provide entertainment and speculation.

Determine Your Child’s Sex

Some people use the Chinese Birth Calendar to help them conceive a boy or girl according to their wishes. Use the chart to find the prospective mother’s age and the current month. Trace a line across the row of months until you reach the desired gender. That will indicate the month in which conception should occur if you want to choose your baby’s sex.

Doctors now use scientific techniques like ultrasound to establish a baby’s gender, and those methods normally produce correct results. However, prospective parents still enjoy the novelty of using the Chinese Birth Calendar as well. Although most people do not take it seriously, the calendar’s accuracy is amazing.

Zodiac Signs

While not directly related to gender calendars, the Chinese also have a strong background in astrology going back to the Zhou dynasty & Han Dynasty. They also add concepts of the elements (or their change) along with Yin & Yang.

The 12 Zodiac Signs

Aries: March 21 - April 20, The Ram ♈

Taurus: April 21 - May 21, The Bull ♉

Gemini: May 22 - June 21, The Twins ♊

Cancer: June 22 - July 23, The Crab ♋

Leo: July 24 - August 23, The Lion ♌

Virgo: August 24 - September 23, The Virgin ♍

Libra: September 24 - October 23, The Scales ♎

Scorpio: October 24 - November 22, The Scorpion ♏

Sagittarius: November 23 - December 22, The Centaur ♐

Capricorn: December 23 - January 20, The Goat ♑

Aquarius: January 21 - February 19, The Water bearer ♒

Pices: February 20 - March 20, The Fish ♓

Chinese Astrology

Wu Xing / Wu Yun Phase Changes

Element

Chinese

pinyin

Season

State of Nature

Wood

木

mù

Spring

growth

Fire

火

huǒ

Summer

swellness

Earth

土

tǔ

between seasons

Metal

金

jīn

Autumn

fruition

Water

水

shuǐ

Winter

retreat

Rather than relying primarily on the above 12 Zodiac signs, the Chinese have a 12-year cycle of animals, which creates a 60-year calendar based on the combination with the 5 elements (or phase changes).

Chinese Zodiac Signs

Rat

Ox

Tiger

Rabbit

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Goat (also Ram or Sheep)

Monkey

Rooster

Dog

Pig

In addition to the 12 yearly Chinese animals, they also have animals based on month (inner animal), day (true animal), and hour (secret animal).

"While a person might appear to be a Dragon because they were born in the year of the Dragon, they might also be a Snake internally, an Ox truly and Goat secretively. In total, this makes for 103,680 possible combinations (60 year cycle (5 elements × 12 animals) × 12 months × 12 days × 12 periods of the day) that a person might be. These are all considered critical for the proper use of Chinese astrology."